TEXAS: Virgin Galactic delays first commercial space flight

TEXAS: Shares in Virgin Galactic dived
as much as 20% on Friday after the space tourism company said it was postponing
its first commercial flight.

The trip
was scheduled for the third quarter of 2022, but will be delayed until the
fourth as the firm conducts repairs and upgrades.

It also
said it will not conduct a second planned test flight this year.

Virgin is
in a race with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s Space X to start flying
tourists into space.

In a statement the firm said a planned upgrade programme, aimed
at enhancing the durability of its ships, would begin a month later than
planned.

It comes
after routine tests revealed “a possible reduction in the strength margins
of certain materials” used on its VMS Eve and VSS Unity craft.

Virgin
said this required further inspection but played down safety concerns.

“While
this new lab test data has had no impact on the vehicles, our test flight
protocols have clearly defined strength margins, and further analysis will
assess whether any additional work is required to keep them at or above
established levels,” said company boss Michael Colglazier.

Space race heats up

The
company, founded by British billionaire Richard Branson, said its next test
flight – Unity 23 – would now happen next summer. Commercial flights will start
after that.

Last
month, the US Federal Aviation Administration lifted a no-fly order on Virgin
Galactic after a flight in July deviated from assigned airspace on its descent.

The
regulator had accused the company of not providing the necessary information
about the flight in which Mr Branson participated.

Hollywood
actor William Shatner became the oldest person to go to
space as he
blasted off aboard the Blue Origin sub-orbital capsule developed by billionaire
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Meanwhile,
four amateur astronauts blasted off from Florida on their private mission on
one of Space X’s Dragon spacecraft in September.